Chenille carpet



May 30, 1933. w A, G A ROFT AL 1,911,343-

CHENILLE CARPET Filed Dec. 23, 1931 a c 3 2.9 oo oc hoooo INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT ol-"l-lcs ALF'RED G. ASHCROFT AND WILLIAM I). KELLOGG, OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK, ASSIGN- ORS T0 MOEAW'K CARPET MILLS, INQ, OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 01' NEW YORK CHENILLE CARPET Application filed December 23, 1931. Serial 1%. 582,728.

This invention relates to pile fabrics and is concerned more particularly with a novel fabric of the chenille type in which the pile tufts are held firmly in place in the fabric and cannot easily be pulled loose. Our invention includes both the new fabric and the method by which it can be produced rapidly and at low cost.

In the manufacture of chenille carpet according to present methods, the chenille is first woven into a cloth or web in which the yarn which is to form the pile of the completed fabric is interwoven as weft with sets of warp or binder threads which are sp'aced at intervals across the web, each group of warp threads constituting the backbone of a strip of chenille. After the completion of this web, it is cut lengthwise between the roups of warp threads and the strips of chenille thus formed are then woven into the final fabric as weft which is interwoven with warp threads of suitable material. In weaving the final product, the ends of the weft which project out beyond the edges of the backbone of the chenille strips are turned upwardly so as to constitute a pile and since these pile yarns are interwoven with only a few warp threads in the backbone of the chenille strip, the yarns can be readily ulled free and this causes defects in the sur ace of the final fabric and reduces its life.

The present invention is accordingly directed to the provision of an improved fabric of the chenille type in which the pile yarns are held firmly in position and cannot be readily dislodged. In the new fabric, strips of chenille are made by a weaving operation which produces a fabric so woven that when the fabric is cut into strips, the strips lie substantially flat. Prior to the incorporation of these strips in the fabric, they are treated with a suitable material which firmly secures the pile yarns in position in the strips, the material used being selected so as not to .de-

crease the pliability of the chenille strips or in any way interfere with their incorporation in the fabric in the ordinary way.

In producing a fabric in accordance with the method of the invention, the chenille web is made in the usual manner and cut into of the chenille and also to the bottoms of the loops of the pile tufts carried the backbone. After the application of the adhesive, the treated strips are dried to cause the material to set, and the strips collected in receptacles are then ready for weaving in the fabric.

For a better understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanylng drawlng of the preferred embodiment thereof, in which;

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a piece of chenille fabric.

Figure 2 is a view of showin how the pile yarns are interwoven into a we with binder warps in forming the chenille strips.

Figure 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing the web after it is cut into strips.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a chenille strip before being treated.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a chenille strip after treatment.

- Figurefi is a schematic layout of machinery for forming and treating chenille strips. Figure 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showmg a modified form of web. a

As illustrated in the drawing, the chenille groups of binder threads to form substantially fiat strips 13 shown in Fig. 3, each strip having a group of binder threads 11 running lengthwise therein and a multiplicity of pile yarns 10 held at their mid-points by the bmder threads 11. To prepare these strips for use in the weaving operation, the strips are dampened and the strands 13 are bent upwardly to form loops with the binder threads at the bottom of the loops.

As will be apparent from Fig. 4, each pile yarn is interwoven with only a few binder threads, and may therefore be easily pulled I as free of the binder threads. If this occurs, the final fabric into which the strips are incorporated is imperfect.

In order to prevent loss of the pile yarns, we subject the strips to a treatment which prevents removal of the yarns and causes the yarns to be firmly anchored to the binder threads. For this purpose, we treat the chenille strips with'a suitable liquid binding agent 14 capable of setting, this material being applied to the undersurface of the backbone of the strips in such manner as to penetrate and coat the binder warp threads and those portions of the pile yarns that are interlocked therewith. The material is applied in such manner that it is not visible in the final fabric and does not come in contact with any portions of the pile yarns except the bottoms of the loops. Also, the material used is of such kind that in the quantities applied it does not stiffen the strips or the fabric in which they are woven.

After treating, the strips are interwoven as weft yarns with other weft yarns, stufler warps, and binder warps. to form a pile fabric and the pile yarns in this fabric are firmly held in this fabric by' their adhesion to their binder threads. In weaving the fabric, the chenille strips are usually held in the fabric only by'a part of the binder warps and these warps are known as catcher warps.

In preparing the strips in accordance with our invention, we may use the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 6. In this view, the web of chenille is drawn from a roll 16 over an idler roll 17 under-a second idler roll 18 to a slitter roll 19 where it is slit into a plurality of strips 13. Each strip then passes over a.

moistening roller 20 which dips into a tank 21 containing water or a similar fluid which the roller applies to the strip and over a grooved steam heated roller 22 which shapes the strip into V cross-section and dries it in that shape. From the grooved roller, the strip passes around idler rolls 23, 24 and 25 and over an applying roller 26, which dips into a tank 27 containing a binding agent and applies the binding agent along the binder threads of the strip 13. The strip next passes through a drying chamber 28, containing a plurality of idler rolls 29 over which the strip passes and is finally discharged into a receptacle 30, ready for incorporation into a fabric. Steam coils 31 may be used to heat the drying chamber 28.

The binding agent used for coating the backbone of the chenille strips may comprise various adhesive or binding agents, but water insoluble size, gum paste, rubber latex, pyroxylin, nitro-cellulose, or acetyl cellulose are particularly satisfactory because they hold the pile tufts without appreciably stiffening the fabric, and we especially prefer rubber latex or nitroor acetyl-cellulose because they dry rapidly and are insoluble in water.

- In Figures 2 to 5, we have represented the chenille strips as pile yarns bound by groups of binder warps 11, each group comprising four ground warps '32. interwoven with the pile yarns and two whipper warps 33 twined around the ground warps and the pile yarns. While this is the preferred construction, we may leave out a part of these binder warps and rely upon the binding agent to PI'GWGIlt the pile tufts from becoming dislodged. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 7 in which the pile yarns are bound by only four binder warps 34 interwoven therewith.

Besides this modification, other changes within the general scope of this invention may be made by altering the weave of the chenille web or the final fabric still further, so long as the resultant product still retains the chenille strips and has only the backbone of the chenille strips coated with a binding agent. Such a product will have all of the benefits ofhaving the pile tufts anchored tightly in place and yet the fabric will not be stifl'ened by a large amount of adhesive on the back thereof and will not have hardened adhesive in a position where it will scratch a surface upon which the fabric is laid.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A method of making pile fabric, which comprises weaving a web with pile yarn as the weft and laterally spaced groups of binder threads as the warp, said warpand weft being so interwoven that said weft willlie substantially flat when out between said groups of binder threads, splitting the web lengthwise between the groups of binder threads to form substantially flat strips, moistening the strips and pressing them into V-shape with said binder threads at the bottom, applying a binding agent to said strips to coat only the binder threads and such portions of the weft threads as are interlaced therewith, drying said binding agent and interweaving the strips with yarn to form a fabric.

2. A method of making chenille strips for use in weaving chenille fabric, which comprises forming a strip of interlaced warp and weft threads, the weft threads projecting beprises forming a strip of interlaced warp and weft threads, the weft threads projecting beyond the warp threads on both sides of the strip, said warp and weft being so interwoven that said weft lies substantially flat, pressing said strip to V-shape with the warp threads at the bottom thereof, applying only to the warp threads and such portions ofthe weft threads as are interlaced therewith and adjacent thereto a binding agent capable of setting, the major portions of the loose ends of said weft threads being free of the binding agent, and treating the agent to cause it to set.

4. A method of making chenille strips for use in weaving chenille fabric, which comprises forming a strip of interlaced warp and weft threads, the weft threads projecting beyond the warp threads on both sides of the strip and said warp and weft threads being so interlaced that said weft lies substantially flat, moistening said strip and pressing it to V-shape with bottom, and applying a binding agent to the warp threads and such portions of the weft threads as are interlaced therewith arid ad- 'acent thereto, the major portions of the loose ends of said weft threads being free of the binding agent.

5. A method of making chenille strips for use in weaving chenille fabric, which comprises forming a strip of interlaced warp and weft threads, the weft threads projecting beyond the warp threads on both sides of the strip and said warp and weft threads being so interlaced that said weft lies substantially flat, moistening said strip and pressing it to V-shape and, while the strip is maintained in this condition, applying a binding agent to the bottom of the strip to coat the warp threads and such portions of the weft threads as are interlaced therewith and adjacent thereto, the major portions of the loose ends of said weft threads being free of the binding agent.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ALFRED G. ASHCROFT. WILLIAM D. KELLOGG.

the warp threads at the with the warp threads at the bottom, 

